Twins Video
Our Twins travel to Texas for a brand new series and this is good because the old series stunk. Yesterday was a horrible performance and I couldn’t help but think of a great performer because of it.
Back in February of 1984, Bruce Springsteen thought his new album “Born in the USA” was done and ready for final production. After all, the band started recording material back in January of 1982 and after 13 months of on and off sessions, they finished 86 possible songs for this new album and some of those songs were pretty good. It was easy to assume that the album was ready but Manager Jon Landau didn’t think so. Bruce’s last release “Nebraska” was a great album but it was dark and acoustic and it didn’t produce any hits. Mr. Landau wanted hits with this new album and he told Bruce that he didn’t hear a sure fire hit in any of the 86 recorded tracks and he told Bruce to go home and come back tomorrow with a sure fire hit and this pissed Bruce off.
Bruce is a prolific songwriter but you need inspiration and he was being forced to write a hit song on the spot without it. The only thing in his head was how he felt about the impossibility of the absurd task he was assigned and that was… “You can’t start a fire… you can’t start a fire without a spark” and the rest is history. Dancing in the Dark was the last song written and recorded for the album and it was the first release and it became his biggest hit when it spent 4 weeks at #2. Biggest hit performed by Bruce because Manfred Mann’s cover of Blinded by the Light was technically Bruce’s only #1 hit since he wrote it.
Why am I thinking about this? Because Bruce was convinced that you couldn’t write a song without inspiration and he was angry that he was forced to write a song without inspiration. Without realizing it… he had used that anger as the missing inspiration.
OK… You get it… So why am I thinking about this? Because the Twins lack emotion in my opinion and they have lacked emotion for a long time now. On Saturday, Sano was handed some inspiration, he got a little angry and the team couldn’t recognize that spark and followed that up with one of the worst performances of the year on Sunday.
This has inspired me to think out loud, “Is Baseball just too boring for you guys”. I hope Falvey and Levine noticed this and are prepared to cull the uninspired out eventually. This has been going on for too long. We need them to exhibit actual physical and emotional engagement to their jobs.
There is darkness on the edge of this town!!!
LOLLIGAGGERS!!!
Here are some things to think about:
1. Dallas – I was in Dallas for a convention in September. The convention was just a few blocks from Dealey Plaza so I asked the hotel shuttle guy if he could drive me through it. I was immediately struck how the Texas Book Depository building seemed to dominate the street. It kind of sits right on top of you as you drive past and is much closer than it appears in the photos and films. There is also an “X” on the road that marks the very location that Kennedy was struck. So I am looking behind at the building and then looking forward as we approach the “X” and then I look behind at the building again and just as we crossed the X… the nearest tree started to shake violently and these loud piercing screeches came out of the shaking tree. It freaked me out… (I mean… I had to go to the hotel to change my pants freaked out). I ducked so quickly that I hit my head on the dashboard. I looked at the driver… to make sure he was OK and he was laughing while I sat there dumbfounded, rubbing my head with no idea what had just happened. I was speechless and I just stared at him, he said, “Son… those are Grackles… welcome to Texas." Grackles are birds and if you have heard Grackles in Texas… you know exactly what I heard for the first time in my now shortened life. If you have never heard Grackles before…do me a favor and just assume it was funny so the driver doesn’t seem so ridiculous in my story.
2. Our Twins – Before I hang Kyle Gibson for yesterday, I’m going to point out that Kyle Gibson received some of the worst defensive support that he could possibly receive... Santana with a dropped fly ball, two Sano misplays and a Dozier misplay. It’s hard to pitch effectively when the other team gets extra outs and Gibson got no help, at all, from his teammates. With that said… come on, Kyle… this has been going on for too long. You need to start proving you belong in the big leagues. The Bullpen has 21 pitchers on the staff and it is now spent so we need Phil Hughes to toss some serious innings tonight. We need some no-nonsense pitching from Hughes… like those no-nonsense judges that we all read about. I do wonder about the nonsense judges and where they are working. Do they wear beanies with propellers and squirt the lawyers with water pistols? They must be around if we have no-nonsense judges.
3. The Rangers – It could be worse for the Twins… they could be the Rangers. The Rangers are 9-10 while the Twins are 8-10, but the Twins are only 2 games back while the Rangers are 4 games back and are already mathematically eliminated from winning the American League West. The Rangers have some problems… they have plenty of power, but look at the batting averages. Out of 12 players with significant playing time… 9 of them have batting averages under .216 and that is not healthy. Let’s hope the Twins aren’t the remedy.
4. Today’s Joe M Conversation
Maddon: Hey Joe… thanks for coming. Why do you want to join our group?
Montana: My name is Joe… my last name starts with an M… I thought I’d fit in.
Mauer: I don’t know… This group is… well… kind of a Midwest thing. McCarthy is from Wisconsin, Illinois is where Maddon is working and I’m from Minnesota.
Montana: I went to school at Notre Dame… Indiana… South Bend… just down the road from Chicago.
McCarthy: Hey… that’s right… that'll work. I say Aye.
Montana: To be clear… what does this group do?
Maddon: We hang around and ask each other questions?
Montana: I see… so by asking the question…
Mauer: (Interrupting) What does this group do… you’ve asked us a question. I say Aye.
Maddon: Can you read the 6th line of that chart on the wall?
Montana: E D F C Z P
Maddon: The eyes have it.
5. Fireplace – I don’t own a fire place but if I did... I’m pretty sure, at some point, I would stare at the fireplace and wonder: How lazy do you have to be to name the fireplace, “Fireplace”?
____________________
Lineups:
TWINS
Brian Dozier 2B
Joe Mauer 1B
Miguel Sano 3B
Robbie Grossman RF
Jorge Polanco SS
Kennys Vargas DH
Chris Gimenez C
Eddie Rosario LF
Byron Buxton CF
Phil Hughes P
RANGERS
Carlos Gomez CF
Shin-Soo Choo DH
Nomar Mazara RF
Mike Napoli 1B
Rougned Odor 2B
Elvis Andrus SS
Joey Gallo 3B
Jonathan Lucroy C
Jurickson Profar LF
Martin Perez P
Weather: Nothing to deter the game from taking place.
Play ball!
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